Awol soldiers 'suffered bullying'

Two soldiers are absent without leave from their barracks after claiming that repeated bullying by their comrades had driven them from the careers they once loved.

Privates Andre Treble and Andrew Jones, both 22, fled Buckley Barracks, near Hullavington, Wiltshire, 12 days ago claiming the attacks - often referred to as "beastings" - were unbearable.

The Ministry of Defence said it knew of the allegations by the pair, of 9 Regiment RLC, adding that any recruit who "falls short of the Army's high standards" would be disciplined.

It would not reveal if it was actively seeking the men or whether arrest warrants had been issued.

The men absconded after Pte Treble claims he was beaten by three soldiers who then ransacked his room.

Pte Jones's mother, Anne Evans, said her son had been verbally bullied after breaking from the pack and standing up for Pte Treble, who was fostered at the age of three.

Pte Treble, who had visited her home in Aberdare, South Wales, and had become a family friend, was first picked on after testing positive for cannabis in February, she explained.

Mrs Evans, a medical copywriter, later phoned Pte Treble, who has been in the Army for six years, on his mobile and heard him being physically assaulted during the call, she claimed.

The 56-year-old said: "When he got back, there was blood up the walls, his personal belongings has been wrecked. They had also put water in a coffee jar and tipped it on the bed. Then the jar had been smashed and ground into the sheets."

The justification given by Pte Treble's attackers was that his drug test had supposedly "dishonoured the regiment", said Mrs Evans. She said Pte Treble had suffered a split lip and feared for his life.